Test subject Alpha
by Fictionlover28
Summary: How far would Shield be willing to go for what they thought was right? Would they sacrifice a girl's life just to prove a point? These are questions that Violet ends up experiencing first-hand. Captured and trapped inside S.H.I.E.L.D, a dangerous experiment flowing through her veins, who can Violet truly rely on to save her from near certain death?
1. How did this happen?

**AN: This is ****one of my first stories. I welcome all reviews and suggestions. I may even take recommendations as to what to put in the next chapter. As always, thank you for reading.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or any characters, plot twists, settings, etc. All I have is Violet.**

I looked at my surroundings, still astounded how I ended up in the situation. Not even 24 hours ago I had been a normal girl, normal school, normal life. The dimly lit hallways of my school that I was so used to seeing had been replaced with the glaringly bright lights of S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. I had come home to find two men waiting for me in the driveway, a black SUV parked behind them and my mother sobbing hysterically between them.

I raced to her side, saying "Mom...Mom, look at me. What's wrong?" She had only been able to choke out one sentence between her sobs.

"I'm so sorry, Violet. I love you, and I hope you can forgive me ." I tried to coax more out of her, but the two men grabbed my arms, restraining me, saying "It's time to go, Miss Unari." I yelled and shrieked as loud as I could, demanding that they take me back to my Mom. They only responded by shoving me into the car, and I felt a slight jolt in my neck before the world turned black around me.

I woke up in the bright white room I now found myself in. I panicked, shouting and screaming once again, and I am even ashamed to admit that I pleaded and begged for the people I could not see to release me. I proceeded to sink to the floor and cry so hard I was left shaking. For what felt like hours I sat still in that same position, alone in my thoughts, guessing what could have gotten me into so much trouble. I could think of nothing; I was just as ordinary as everyone else. I followed fashion trends, I wore my makeup the same way, I did my work like I was supposed too, and I even managed to stay on honor roll. _'What did I do to deserve this?' _I thought, and as I considered it over again, a panel in the wall slid open, revealing a door that had been previously hidden. Two men stepped into the room, but they were not the same men from before. One of them was dressed in a black trench, turtle neck, and combat boots. He had an eye patch over one eye, and while I normally would have made so many a bald jokes because of his head, the icy one-eyed glare he sent me and the gun strapped to his hip were powerful deterents. The other man was similarly dressed, but he wore a black vest like top and black cargo pants, but his skin was tan when the other man's was dark and his shirt showed off his tone arms. He was clearly supposed to be the muscle. His brown hair was cut in a practical way, out of his eyes, which stared me down in an unreadable expression. I felt like a bug under a magnifying glass, the way they were watching me. "Sit", the eyepatch man said, gesturing to a white table and chairs in the center of the room. His voice, deep and commanding, astounded me with how emotionless he sounded. I still wasn't certain that they weren't going to kill me, so I stood up and sat in the chair farthest away from them. Eyepatch man sat in the chair opposite me, and Muscles stood broodingly in the corner.

"I am Director Fury, this is Agent Barton", Eyepatch man introduced himself and Muscles. "I'm Violet Unari", I said , trying to be civil. "I know who you are", Director Fury said, and from within his coat he took out a thin file. He set it down on the table and flipped it open. On the inside was a sheet with words I couldn't read upside down, and a picture of a baby. I stared at the picture, my stomach jolting in a twist of recognition. "That's...me", I said aloud, the truth of what I said still not processing in my mind. "Yes. Violet Maria Unari, aka Test subject Alpha. Age: 15. Appearance: Brown hair, shoulder length, green eyes, 5'10." Director Fury listed my description off the sheet with cool detachment. He flipped to the next page, and read again. "Name: Violet (undetermined) Unari, aka test subject Alpha." He stared at me pointedly when he said this. "Age: 6 months. Purpose: genetic research. Subject displays potential for project Bind. Parental consent has been provided. Testing shall begin immediately." Apparently satisfied he had said enough, Director Fury stopped reading and stared me down, taking in my reaction to his words. "What the hell?!" I exclaimed, none of that making sense to me. "What is that even supposed to mean to me? I've never even heard of project Bind or test subject Alpha or whatever else is in that damned file of yours!" I was practically screaming, again, at this point, but Director Fury only sighed like I was being a stubborn child.

"Director, may I?" Agent Barton spoke up. "Be my guest", Director Fury said, giving Agent Barton his seat. "Violet, fifteen years ago, S.H.I.E.L.D was working on a project. We believed it could change many lives and lead to the benefit of society." I rolled my eyes at this. Of course they would use some kind of stereotypical explanation to justify what they did. Agent Barton glared at me before resuming his story. "Anyway, as it was being tested, project Bind as it was known, encountered a slight drawback. It required a very specific DNA code to be activated. S.H.I.E.L.D looked all over the globe for people who had the right code, and we could only find you. You were six months old at the time. Your biological Mother was in a bad financial situation, so S.H.I.E.L.D payed her a large sum of money to let us experiment on you, trying to determine what made your DNA special and what effects project Bind would have on your development. Your Mom also signed an agreement that let her take you home to live a normal childhood, but fifteen years later, when the effects of the experiment would begin to show, S.H.I.E.L.D would be given legal custody of you to complete the test and resume experimentation." Agent Barton looked at me with an expression bordering on pity; I hated it. "Today is exactly fifteen years after the first testing was commenced, so welcome to your new home." I couldn't think clearly at this point. My head was swimming with what I had just been told. Not only was I being wrenched away from my Mother and the life I had known for as long as I could remember, but I was expected to live here and be their lab rat. And my Mom had known. She had known for fifteen years and had never breathed a word about it to me.

"No way in hell!" I screamed, my first reaction being anger. " I would rathet die before I willingly let you people make me some kind of freak experiment.I will not be your lab rat!" I hid my secondary reaction, fear and shock, as best I could, but I could tell that neither of them were fooled by my show of defiance. Director Fury stared me down. "You don't have a choice." He said, and with that, Agent Barton, quick as a whip, lunged across the table and knocked out.

**So what did you think? I am hoping to continue the story based on what you think. Please don't hate me for leaving it on a cliffhanger. Feel free to review or PM me with comments, notes, suggestions, etc. I welcome all of it.**


	2. The Breakout

**AN: I am so glad that people enjoyed the first chapter. Over one hundred views, yeah! I would also like to send out a special thank-you to Faded Stripe, who sent me a very encouraging review. I will attempt to post a new chapter each week, but I give no promises because you never know what may come up. Anyway, in this chapter, we begin to learn just what shield did to Violet. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own shield, Hawkeye, black widow, or any of the avengers or characters in the Marvel universe. Only Violet is mine. Hands off!**

I woke in the white room yet again, my head pounding. The table and chairs, and my backpack, had been taken. The only thing I found familiar were the clothes I was wearing. That's how I got to where I was now, thinking about what had happened the past few hours. At least, I was assuming it had been a few hours. Time didn't seem to be passing in the room. No clock, I didn't have a watch, and everything was bright, no sign of nighttime. Even if it was dark I couldn't sleep. Too much had happened. My hands automatically reached for the chain around my neck, a nervous habit I had developed. I pulled out the locket from where it was tucked into my shirt. The tarnished metal sat comfortably in my palm. I flicked open the clasp, revealing two pictures on the inside, one on each wing. The first picture was one of my Mom, a huge smile on her face, caught in the middle of a laugh. The picture had been taken on the day that she had taken me out of school early as a surprise, and we had gone to the state fair and ridden roller coasters all day. We had just gotten off of the bumper cars, we had shared a car, and I was such a terrible driver that I had bumped into every wall and other driver that had gotten in my way. She had been so relieved to get out of the car that she had started laughing like a maniac. That's when I took that picture, to keep the memory of us being perfectly happy. The other picture was of our house, and my Mom holding me as a baby in front of it. That was the day she had brought me home from the hospital, or so I believed, and I always thought of that day as when our family began. I was an only child, and I had no father to speak of, but we had made a family with just us and the various animals I talked her into adopting. It wasn't much, but it was home. These pictures reminded me that I had a life and family outside these walls, one that was waiting for me to escape. At the very least I needed to hear, from my Mom's own lips, how she could have let this happen. Closing the locket with a snap, I tucked it back inside my shirt and stood up. I paced around the cell. I knew the only way to get out of here was to figure out how to open that door, and I couldn't figure that out without seeing someone else leave.

Gazing around the room, I yelled "Hey, unless you want your precious experiment to starve, I would suggest you get some food in here. I would do it myself, but you seem to want to keep me in this damn cell." Content that I made my point, I sat back down in a corner and waited. Not even 10 minutes later, or I guessed ten minutes, the door slid open and a woman slipped in, carrying a tray. She sat cross-legged on the floor in front of me, and set the tray between us. I hadn't been entirely lying when I said I was hungry, and the sight of food made me ravenous. There was a glass of water, some cut vegetables, and a ham sandwich. Basic food, but I tucked in anyway, very hungry considering I had no idea how long it had been since I last ate. As I munched on the sandwich, I studied the woman in front of me. She had vibrant red hair, pale skin, haunting eyes that were cold and calculating, and a curvy body dressed in a black catsuit. She seemed poised to attack, even when she was sitting. She was beautiful. I envied her curves, never liking my body. I was too skinny, kind of flat, very pale, and my hair had always been too limp to be pretty and too thick to hold a curl. The only thing I liked about myself were my eyes. They had always been my most attractive feature. A bright, vibrant green that always seemed to twinkle with mischief and humor.

"What's your name?" I asked the woman. She didn't look at me as she spoke.

"Agent Romanoff". I smiled slightly."That's kind of funny. I met a man earlier with the same first name, Agent." Sure,I was being a little sarcastic, but I was done with my food and dead bored. For a moment I thought I saw a smile flit across Agent's face. "Natasha. My real first name is Natasha." I let a small smirk creep onto my face. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" I replied. She threw me a look that could have frozen a volcano. I pushed past it."Well, you probably already know this, but my name is Violet, though my friends call me Vi." She continued staring across the room. "I'm not your friend." Natasha said, and I wasn't surprised. "I wouldn't want you to be. Who would want to be friends with their kidnappers and potential killers?" She looked at me as I said this. "I'm not going to kill you, and neither is anyone else here, so long as you do as you're told. Follow the rules, obey Director Fury, put up with a little poking and prodding in the lab, and you'll be just fine." She said all this with cool disinterest. I did my best to hide my growing anger. Natasha, apparently done speaking, picked up the dishes and walked to the door. She tapped a panel on the wall and it slid open. She typed in something I couldn't see, and the door swished open. As soon as the door closed, I practically screeched "No way in hell am I staying here!". I stood quickly, walking over to the wall. I tapped the same panel, and it slid open. Inside was a touchscreen keypad. It blinked, indicating I needed to enter the code within 90 seconds, or security would be notified. Smiling, I kneeled down, angling my head so the light would reflect off the panel. I was counting on the natural oils in Natasha's fingers to have left residue. Using the light, I could see the residue on the screen. There was a series of numbers and letters she had tapped. I considered it in my head. The first part was easy to figure out, it was her last name. The tricky part would be figuring out the series of numbers. There was 7, 4, 2, 0, and 5. All I could do was guess. Holding my breath and holding my locket chain, I tapped in 02457. The second I pressed enter, I waited for an alarm to go off.

It didn't.

The door slid open into a white hallway, and it forked to the left and right in front of me. I paused a moment. I heard voices coming from the right hallway, so I went down the left one. I stepped as silently as I could, checking behind me now and then to make sure no one had spotted me. The walls next to me were lined with doors, and I could hear muffled chatter from inside them. I waited until I reached a door where there was no noise inside, and I pushed against it slightly. The door suddenly slid open, and a tall man stepped out. He was wearing a white shirt and khakis. His shirt had some sort of icon on it, but my attention was on his face. He had perfect skin, shining blue eyes,and short dirty blonde hair. He was gorgeous. I instantly chastised myself for getting distracted by his pretty face and not running away.

"Are you alright Miss?" He asked, and it was enough to shock me out of my stupor. I ran. I had no clue where I was going, just that I had to get out. I heard running behind me, and glanced back to see the pretty man running after me, gaining fast. I put everything I had into sprinting, I saw faces fly past me, but I didn't care. I saw a flash of light coming up, and a window appeared to my left. I paused and looked out, then froze in horror. I was at least thirty floors up, and how the hell did I get from Virginia to New York?! Horrified, I didn't notice the man catch up to me, too lost in my thoughts to care or try getting away. He came up behind me, and grabbed my atm roughly. "Miss, I don't know who you are, but I will have to ask you to leave. This is a secure area." My head snapped back. "So, I need to be escorted out?" I asked, realising this was exactly what I needed. He nodded, and I followed his lead for about ten seconds before a voice sounded behind me. An uninvitingly familiar voice.

"Captain, stop that girl" Director Fury called. I spun around, and he was quickly walking toward me and the pretty man, Captain. I raised my hands into a basic defensive pose. They weren't getting me back in that cell without a fight. "Leave me alone!" I screamed, and suddenly a wave of blue flew from my body, knocking Director Fury and Captain to the floor. I fell to the floor as well, but not from the energy. I couldn't process what was going on. "What have they done to me?" I whispered before the world faded around me.

**So have you figured out what SHIELD did to Violet yet? Sorry for leaving it on a cliffhanger, again. Please send me reviews or PM messages about what you think and/or any ideas you may have for upcoming chapters. I welcome helpful criticism as well.**


	3. Decline

**Holy** **Crow! ****Had a serious backfire in the story when trying to update some spelling errors. To anyone who saw that, I will now go crawl in a hole. I would if I could, but I don't think they have wifi in holes ;) Anyway, here is chapter three. It will be shorter and told from Captain America's point of view. This is just a filler for a new twist I have planned, so it will be a bit shorter and kind of dull. But I promise I will post a better chapter soon. The next one is already in the works.  
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**Disclaimer: Nothing Avengers or Captain America is mine. That would make me too awesome.**

Steve had seen many strange things in his time at S.H.I.E.L.D. Some were too wierd to describe, one of them was his colleague in the form of Doctor Banner. However, a girl shooting out blue energy from her body was a new oddity in and of itself. She had seemed harmless enough, just a kid who had managed to worm her way into somewhere she wasn't supposed to be. Classic teen behavior. That is until she let out a force so powerful it knocked him off his feet. He didn't question Director Fury as the girl was dragged away by two security personnel. What did catch his attention was when Fury began to refer to her as 'Test Subject Alpha'. He had only heard that project mentioned once before, and he had been under the impression that the project was scrapped due to its being too dangerous. Steve voiced this to Director Fury. Letting out a deep sigh, Fury said "Follow me." Turning on his heel, he led Steve down a hallway to an empty conference room.

Locking the door behind them, Fury said "What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room." Steve nodded his assent, his interest well and truly sparked. "Years ago, the idea was presented that one day the tesseract may not be on Earth anymore, that it may be taken away by its original owners. Thor and Loki turned out to be proof of that. It was decided that S.H.I.E.L.D needed to find a way to guarantee we had a back up plan in case of that. Test Subject Alpha was that plan. We figured that the tesseract owners would never think to check organic tissue for pieces of the tessuract if we made the pieces small enough. A painstaking process began, in which a small pea-sized part of the tesseract was removed and placed inside someone. That girl you met earlier, we placed the piece of tesseract inside of her heart when she was a baby. S.H.I.E.L.D thought that once she had matured, and a decent amount of time had passed that the Asgardians would no longer be focused on Earth, we could remove the tesseract from her heart and continue research, should it prove necessary. I thought this was a bad idea from the start. We don't know what the tesseract is really capable of, so when the Board proposed the idea, I told them to go ahead and see what would happen. I thought I could prove them wrong by not putting a stop to the project and watching it fail." Here Fury took a deep breath, his brow furrowing. "I shouldn't have been so blind. Now an innocent girl's life is at stake because I wanted to prove the Board wrong." Facing Steve again, Fury revealed the truth. "The piece of tesseract has bonded with Test Subject Alpha's cellular structure, and it is breaking down her molecular density. Today was just one example of what will happen when the full effects of the radiation take a hold of her. She will become a being of pure energy, no physical form, unstoppable and indestructible. Her body just can't handle the tesseract, and we can't remove it because her heart has grown around it. Removing the piece would kill her." Fury stopped talking here, lost in thought. Steve digested his words. Even though he had no personal ties to the girl, he could feel for her. Her life had been stripped away and she was slowly dying, and she had no control over it.

Then, a thought occurred to Steve. "Is there any way to alter her body to accommodate the energy?" Fury stared Steve down. "If there was, it would have been thought of already." But Steve was already thinking ahead. "Hold on, we know that on Asgard, the tesseract's home, everything is a combination of science and magic. The same could be said for the Asgardians themselves. They have an abnormal life span, which is partly genetic and partly science. And Asgardians can wield magic, so their bodies have adapted to allow for certain levels of radiation that magic would cause. When Thor first arrived on Earth, samples were taken of his blood and tissue when he was admitted into the hospital. Could those samples be used to isolate Thor's genetic structure and bond it with Test Subject Alpha's? Theoretically, if it worked, her body would take on traits of Thor's, like his Asgardian defense against radiation. It could save her." Fury paused, considering Steve's idea. "Even if it did work, Thor is a fully grown adult. It could change her body to that of an adults, potentially taking away years of her life. Also, she could never go back to her old life again, if she survives." Steve argued back "But don't you think she would rather have a few years taken away then her whole life? And there was never any chance of her going back to her old life, was there?" Fury nodded in response, acknowledging the truth in Steve's words. Reaching up to his ear, Fury opened up a communication. "Get a message to the science labs. We need them to begin analyzing the samples from Thor. I will be arriving shortly with Captain Rogers. We have work to do."

**ooooo. What's going to happen? Will Violet survive? If she does, what changes will her body go through? PM or review. I want to know what you thought.**


	4. Brave New World

**Okay, so this chapter will once again be from Violet's perspective. Time to see what happened with Steve's plan. Anyone else excited?**

**Special shout out to my faithful guest reader Jo, who has sent me very encouraging reviews for the past few chapters, and to my Dad who is very supportive of my writing. It means the world to me. Thanks for your enjoyment in Violet's misfortunes ;)**

**I have very little idea of what should come after this chapter, I'm sure I'll think of something, but if anyone wants to send me ideas, I would not be opposed. Enough about me, on to Violet.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, Nick Fury, Thor, or any other character in this story. Except Violet, she's all mine!**

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I hurt. Every muscle in my body was screaming at me as I tried to sit up. That's when I looked beyond the pain and say myself, really saw myself. My skin was still pale, but rippled with muscles, and where I had scars before from my clumsiness there was only flawless skin. I leaned forward to inspect myself and a lock of blonde hair fell forward. I was scared. I didn't recognize my body. I was still in my cell, but I noticed someone had placed a full length mirror in the corner. Rising slowly, I approached the mirror. At the same time, a woman mirrored my actions on the surface. I raised my hand and waved, the woman did the same. I stood on one foot, she did as well. I observed the woman. She was tall, flawless pale skin, well-defined muscles lingered under her skin. She was wearing the same clothes as me, but they were a little too small on her form. Her torso was well-defined, abs rippled across her stomach, and where I was flat she was shapely. Her face was beautiful. She had a natural pink glow in her cheeks, her lips were plump and inviting, and her eyes were piercing green, almost luminescent. Her hair fell down in soft waves; it was a soft blonde with streaks of brown running through it, almost like she had dyed strands brown. The effect was not chaotic, but gave her a touch of elegance and mystery. The woman was beautiful. I couldn't understand how she could be my reflection. I was 15, the woman in the mirror was at least in her early twenties. "What is going on?" I thought aloud, and the woman spoke the same words. But it wasn't my voice that issued the words. The voice was soft and melodic, almost like singing, but not quite. It couldn't be my voice.

The door to the cell hissed open, and a person I did not recognize stood in the doorway. "Follow me", he said, and turned on his heel, leading me out of the cell; I followed mutely. I took in my surroundings, not having the chance to observe everything during my escape attempt earlier. That thought brought a new question to the front of my mind. Why would they be letting me out of my cell so soon after my escape attempt. For all they cared, I was a loose cannon who had to be kept in a cage.

Even in my head, the word cage was spat out like a curse. I didn't have claustrophobia, but i didn't like staying in one place too long. I was always moving, like the Energizer Bunny. As I was thinking, we passed along the same hallway I had tried to escape through. Around a corner, Captain stood beside a big door I hadn't noticed before. It was twice the size of the other doors in that hallway, and it had simple black lettering on it. 'Nick Fury-Director.' I smiled when I read this, thinking of the insults I could rhyme Fury's first name with.

Captain was staring at me as I approached. He clearly was as new to my appearence as I was. He was openly staring at me. "Agent Coulson" Captain greeted.

The man who Ihad been following replied with a simple "Captain Rogers." I mentally noted both their names for later use. The door whooshed open next to Captain Rogers and Director Fury stood in the doorway. He gestured for us to come inside. My heart began to pound. Here I was, surrounded by three very strong and intimidating men, and they were all eyeing me warily. 'Oh my gosh. They're going to kill me. That's the only reason they would take me out of the cell.' The thought ran through my head, and I was almost hysterical with worry, not that I let them see it. I couldn't think clearly, couldn't consider the fact that they might not want me dead. I had watched way to many spy movies.

I followed Agent Coulson into the room, my heart fluttering nervously. I sat down on a hard metal chair, not unlike the one that had been in my cell. Director Fury sat behind the desk I was facing. Captain Rogers and Agent Coulson stood by the door. This was eerily familiar. The last time I had been in a setting like this was when Director Fury told me I was a freak experiment and turned my world inside out. I didn't know if my sanity could handle another bomb like that.

"Violet," Director Fury said, and this caught my attention immediately. He had never used my real name before, and it was more than a little unnerving. "I'm sure you have already noticed your new appearance. Captain Rogers had the idea to put a mirror in your room." I snorted in amusement. The place where they were keeping me prisoner was referred to as 'my room'. That almost made it sound like they expected this to be home for me. Ignoring my amusement, Fury continued. "You were informed earlier of the fact that you were part of an experiment called Project Bind." I nodded. "And you were not made aware of what the purpose of the project was." Again, I nodded. Then I froze in horror as he explained to me exactly what Project Bind was. He explained how it had been killing me, how it was his fault, and he explained Captain Rogers idea. I listened to how he and Captain Rogers had isolated Thor's genetic structure, how they gave me a sedative that made me fall into a deep sleep, how they bonded Thor's DNA to mine in an attempt to reverse the effects of the radiation. Captain Rogers broke into the conversation and described how as soon as the bonding was complete, my body began to change. For every hour that I was asleep after the bonding, my body aged about a year. After eight hours, the aging stopped. I now had the body of a 23 year old, and my appearance and physique had changed to resemble that of an Asgardian. Beyond that, the radiation seemed to be contained, but they did not know how I had changed otherwise.

I stared at my hands as I absorbed all of this. I was grateful that I was no longer dying, even if it was their fault in the first place. One thing out of all this was glaringly apparent to me. I could not escape anymore. Even if I somehow managed to, there was nowhere for me to go. I still had the mentality of a 15-year-old, so I couldn't find a job, and my Mom would no longer recognize me if I sought her out. I was out of options, I had to stay.

"So what are you going to do with me?" I asked in a defeated voice, not bothering to marvel at the strange quality of my new voice. Director Fury looked me dead in the eye as he spoke hos next words. "I think you should finish your education here at S.H.I.E.L.D, and during that time, I want you to enter the training program. Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D, Agent."

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	5. Meet and Greet

**AN: For this chapter I would like to thank one of my readers for asking me a question in their review. Your question knocked me out of a serious case of writer's block. As you read the story, you will know who you are. Thanks.**

**Oh, just a heads up, Violet meets some of the other Avengers in this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers, Hawkeye, or anything Marvel. Violet is mine.**

Agent Violet Unari. I turned the title over in my head. It had a nice ring to it. Then I laughed. My laughter was different from before, but I didn't care. I was hysterical. I stood up suddenly from my seat, knocking over the chair. I could feel Director Fury's eyes on me as I paced in front of his desk. "This is insane. You tell me I'm dying, now I'm not dying, I have no way home, I'm eight years older physically, I have a god's DNA in my body causing God knows how much change, and you expect me to play nice and work for you." At this I stopped pacing. I faced Fury and slammed my hands down on his desk, palms smacking the surface. I leaned over, my face inches from his. I sensed the two men behind me reach for their weapons, and Fury stiffened. "You can force me to stay here, you can chain me in that damn cage for the rest of my life, but I will never work for you. You can't just screw with my life and expect me to go with it. I will never stop trying to escape, never stop trying to go home. You wanted an experiment, dick? Well let's test how much shit you can put up with from me and this wonderful new body you gave me."

My rant finished, I stood back up, pulling away from Fury. His face showed no sign that my speech had affected him, but I saw a slight flicker of his eyes. Pulling himself together, Fury said calmly "You're classes begin at 1300 hours today. 0600 tomorrow. Captain Rogers will escort you to and from your classes. He will also be your hand to hand instructor. I will check on your progress in three weeks." Checking the time, he added, "It is 1200 hours now. Get lunch and prepare for training." He turned back to some papers on his desk. I was hungry, so I decided to go with the plan, for now. I turned to Captain Rogers, waiting to be shown where to go. I could tell he was not thrilled to be my personal babysitter. His face wore an expression that conveyed horror and disgust. I didn't feel any different.

"So are you going to show me where to go or not?", I said, putting as much sass as I could into the question. Just because he was less than happy to follow me around didn't mean I would make it easy on him. Without saying a word Captain Rogers walked out of the room. I trailed behind him like a lost puppy dog. He led me through a series of hallways that each looked the same. I didn't even bother trying to remember where he led me. Eventually we entered a large room, roughly the size of a basketball court. Tables populated the majority of the floor space, running in rows across the room. At the end of the room was a large counter where a dozen or so people were passing out pre-packaged food to a large line running the circumference of the room. There were easily a hundred people in line, and many were already sitting down at the tables. There was a slight buzz of conversation, hanging like a cloud over the people. They were all clearly S.H.I.E.L.D employees. I had never realised there were so many. Instead of voicing this thought, I said "Well at least school lunches aren't that different. The people are just older." Captain Rogers shot me a glare.

A voice called out "Steve! Come and join us!" The voice originated from a tight-knit group of people huddled around one of the center tables. A man with black hair and a naturally cocky grin was gesturing towards Captain Rogers. Apparently ignoring my presence, Captain Rogers strode over to the man who had yelled to him. Not knowing what else to do, I followed. He walked in long strides towards the people he was clearly eager to see. As we neared, I recognized some of the people. Natasha and Agent Barton were there, as well as two men I did n't know and a blonde woman who was furiously typing on an iPad.

Captain Rogers greeted the loud man first. "Stark, what are you doing here? And with Ms Potts too. I didn't know she had clearance to be here." The man called Stark smirked in reply. "Great to see you to, Capsicle. Pepper is accompanying me on a visit to Fury. Apparently there is some tech he wants me and Banner to check out, and I brought her along for the ride." The man was clearly referring to the blonde woman as Pepper, and Banner was one of the two men, but I couldn't tell which. Captain Rogers winced slightly at the nickname, but he still looked happier now that he wasn't focused on me. Unfortunately, that's when Stark noticed me.

"Steve, who's your shadow?" Captain Rogers, Steve, sighed so quietly I could only hear because I was close to him. "She's no one, Stark. Just a kid I have to look after. Fury's orders." That annoyed me. Steve said that as if it was such a burden to have me around. Like it was my choice to even be here. "Come on, Steve, don't be shy. Introduce the girl." , Stark said. Before Captain Rogers could reply, I stepped out from behind him. Smirking, I said "Steve here," I patted Captain Roger's arm, "Just doesn't like that he's my personal babysitter. Personally, I think Fury would be better company. All Steve does is scowl when I'm around." At this, Stark guffawed. "Well, any person who can annoy the good Cap here is a friend of mine." Reaching out his hand, he said "Tony Stark." I grasped his hand in a firm handshake. "Violet Unari. It's nice to meet you." Tony gestured for Steve and I to sit down. I took the seat between the two of them, Tony on my left, Steve on my left. "You're Iron Man, right?" I asked Tony. I recognized him from the Battle of New York. I had watched on TV when it was going on. "That's right. Clint there is Hawkeye," he gestured to Agent Barton "Agent Romanoff is Black Widow. Bruce is the Hulk. Thor isn't here at the moment. And Steve is Captain America." At this, my eyes widened slightly. I hadn't realised that Steve was Captain America; I hadn't recognized him out of costume. Captain America had always been my favorite Avenger. I had even dressed up as him for Halloween once. Now I was just disgusted with myself. How could I let the fantasy of the great Captain America cloud that the man behind the mask was a jerk?

"Way to keep a secret, Tony." Clint had finally spoken up. "Come on, the girl ought to know she is in the company or the World's Mightiest Heros." Tony sounded so smug when he said this. Too smug for my liking. "Just because you saved the world from some big bad doesn't mean that everyone you meet will worship you. Strength and Power does not equal character." With that being said, I stood up from the table and hurried from the room. They were all a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. They were the enemy, part of the group keeping me captive. I couldn't play nice with any of them. I walked and walked until I found an alcove. I couldn't escape, and I didn't want to stay. Right now I just wanted to hide. Sinking down to the floor, mostly hidden from sight, I burst into tears.

**AN: sorry if this chapter isn't too great. It's just a filler for what is to come. I needed to write a scene where Violet met the Avengers and realised who Steve is. I will write the next chapter soon, and that one will be much better. That will be when Violet begins her training and gets to know one of the Avengers a little better ;) Please review. Also, please tell me what you think of a potential OC romance?**


	6. A New Beginning

**AN: ok, so the last chapter was kind of a wreck, but I appreciate that you were supportive of Violet's rebellious attitude. That will continue in future chapters. For the first part of this chapter, the viewpoint is going to change to third-person omnipotent. Then it will go back to Violet's pont of view. zzz is when the viewpoint changes. It will be easier that way to show exactly how a certain Avenger helps Violet.**

**Also, this will be a longer than usual chapter, but an important one nonetheless. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, Marvel, or anything of the like. Only Violet is mine.**

In the wake of Violet's hurried exit from the mess hall, Tony Stark was very confused. The girl he had just met had seemed nice and friendly, but she carried a bitterness in her heart that seemed to rule her actions. Clearly, that bitterness was from something to do with the Avengers or, by association, S.H.I.E.L.D. To Steve, Tony said "Okay, mother hen, why does that girl act like she hates the world?" Steve shook his head in reply, but Tony wasn't letting it go. "No. I know that you know something. Come on." Relenting, Steve said "What I'm about to tell you does not leave this group." He looked pointedly at all the Avengers and Ms Potts. They all nodded in reply. Clint and Natasha were especially curious. They had both met Violet before as a teen, but they wanted to know how she had aged so fast. Fury had decided that they didn't need to know, so they were clueless. "Okay, fifteen years ago, there was a project called project Bind. It tied in with the study of the tesseract..." And Steve revealed exactly what happened with Violet. How as a baby her genetic code was found to be abnormally strong for one so young, so she was chosen for the project. How her mother agreed, and how she had been retrieved two days ago. Finally, he told them of Violet's escape attempt and what Fury had told him about Violet's condition. How he had the idea about Thor's DNA, and how Violet now had the mentality of a teen but the body of a fully grown adult.

When Steve finished his story, he looked at his friends, waiting for their response. Tony was the first to be able to form a coherent sentence. "So basically this kid has had her life screwed with because of something that happened to her as a baby which she had no control over. Now she's trapped, with no way home, and Fury wants her to be an Agent." Tony paused a moment before saying his next sentence. "Am I the only one who realised that because of the genetic bonding, Thor is basically Violet's Dad now?" That hadn't occurred to anyone else at the table, and they all began wondering how Thor would react to the fact he was a father. "No wonder she's bitter." Clint surprised everyone by speaking up. "I remember how i felt when i was under Loki's control. Losing control of your life-like that, it's not something anyone should have to go through." Rising quickly, Clint said " I'm going to see if i can talk to her. She's probably upset and confused. I can relate to her the most." Steve nodded in agreement, and Clint left the mess hall. Thinking over where Violet might go, he guessed she would want to go somewhere hidden and alone.

Knowing S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters like the back of his hand, Clint quickly found where Violet was hiding. She was tucked into a small crevice between two walls, curled into a ball, crying her eyes out.

Violet sensed someone watching her, and she raised her head to see who it was. Realising it was Hawkeye, Violet shrank back as far as she could into the crevice. She was afraid he might be mad or upset about what she said in the mess hall.

Kneeling down, Clint was eye level with Violet. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk." He reached out his hand slowly to Violet, treating her the way a person might treat a frightened kitten. Clint's heart went out to Violet. When he had gotten out of Loki's control, thanks to Natasha, he had been hurt and confused, but he had to suppress those feelings in light of the impending Battle. However, he wasn't sure he would ever forget that feeling of helplessness.

Violet slowly reached out her hand, grasping Clint's. The crying had finally let her release her pent-up emotions, leaving her weak and docile. Clint pulled her out, and Violet was unsurprised that he helped her get out with ease. Using a bow had given him some serious upper body strength.

Clint was pleased that Violet had let her guard down enough to let him help her. Maybe he could help her not be so bitter. "I'm not going to pretend that I know what it is like to lose years of your life and find yourself in a new body, Steve would probably be able to relate to you on that front," he began "But I do know what it feels like to lose control of your life." Here he paused; he was sharing something personal with a girl he barely knew. But Clint knew that this girl was broken, torn and overwhelmed by what had happened to her the past two days. She needed a friend. "Just before the Battle of New York, you wouldn't know this, but I was under the control of Loki." Violet's brow furrowed in confusion. "The scepter that Loki had allowed him to take control of my mind. I was basically brainwashed into doing whatever he told me to do. I couldn't fight his hold, it was too strong. While my body did what Loki told me to do, my mind was fighting against itself. Loki's hold was like a fog, unwavering and unending. I was forced to watch as I killed, stole, and hurt people. I even caused a S.H.I.E.L.D hovercraft to almost fall out of the sky." Getting back on point, Clint said "I know how it feels for someone else to have control over you. I know you want to fight with everything you have, just to regain a sort of control in creating chaos. Violet, I'm not telling you this to upset you. I'm telling you this so that you see that it doesn't help to fight. Sooner or later, you will find control in your life. Until then, focus on the things you can control. For instance, and you might hate me for saying this, training. Learn how to fight, how to defend yourself. Strengthen your mind and body, then one day, when you're strong enough, you can fight for your freedom."

Violet turned Clint's words over in her mind. He was making a good deal of sense. No matter what she did, Fury would control her freedom. But if she worked hard enough, she could win it back. She would do as Clint said,, she would put aside her anger and bitterness, and she would put all her energy into improving herself. If Fury was going to force her to be an Agent, then she would be the best damned Agent she could be. Steeling her resolve, she said only one word. "Okay."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

As Clint and I walked back to the mess hall together, I felt more at ease. It was good to have a goal, something to work towards in all this craziness. I was also glad to have someone to talk to. I had a feeling that Clint and I would get along well. "So does this mean we're friends?" I asked, some of my earlier curiosity returning. Smirking, Clint replied. "Not on your life. Steve is your hand to hand instructor, but I'm going to be your marksmanship instructor, so I will have to be completely and utterly mean." I could tell he was kidding and, for the first time since I came to S.H.I.E.L.D, I laughed. Not manic laughter, like in Fury's office, but a real laugh that came straight from the part of me that finds delight in silly things. Despite the other changes to my body, my laugh was the same. Deep and loud, a laugh that was contagious. Clint smiled, apparently glad that he had made me laugh. He continued. "I will be the meanest instructor in the world. You will be completely miserable. You will wish that Fury was the one training you instead." He said all this with a true smile on his face, and that just made me laugh harder. I was still laughing as we walked into the mess hall.

As my laughter stopped, I could see the eyes of the Avengers on me. Walking confidently over to the table, I said "I know that Captain Rogers told you what happened with me and why I am here. I'm sorry for being rude earlier, but as you know, it was justified. However, it will not happen again. Most of you have my respect, and I will treat you as such." The first person to react was Tony. He stood up from the table and into a hug. I was caught off guard. My arms hung limply at my sides. Pulling back, Tony was smiling. "You have guts, kid. Despite what's happened to you, you haven't let it crush your spirit. I think I speak for everyone when i say that we forgive you." Leading me back to my seat, he said "Now that the elephant is out of the room, tell us about yourself." I began answering their questions about my life, school, my family. That last part was harder to discuss, and I felt my fingers rise to my neck a few times to grasp at the locket, which I still had, miraculously. Steve had been nice enough to get a tray of food for me while Clint was looking for me. I talked in between eating; I was ravenous. I got along very well with all the Avengers, especially Clint and Tony. Natasha was nice once she started talking, and Bruce was kind of shy and bumbling, but he was a very sweet guy. Even Steve loosened up enough from whatever was bothering him and participated in the conversation. Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask Steve "Why did you seem so disgusted when Fury told you to look after me?" He paused a moment, considering his words. "I've been working on hunting down a group known as HYDRA for several months now, and three days ago my team located the base of a very prominent HYDRA commander. The day that I was to leave to take out the base was the day you tried to escape. That's when Fury filled me in and, well, you know. The day that you got out of surgery, Fury told me that I was being reassigned. I was off the HYDRA mission. It's not that I dislike you personally, I just don't like that I can't complete my mission while I'm looking after and teaching you." When he finished speaking, I felt horrible. I had unintentionally gotten in the way of something that clearly meant a great deal to him. "I'm sorry." I meant it to. Sensing my guilt, Steve put a hand on my shoulder. "HYDRA's not going anywhere. They will still be there for me to fight once you're trained." I gave him a shy half-smile. Maybe Steve Rogers wasn't such a bad guy.

Checking a clock hanging from the wall, Steve gestured to Clint and turned to me. "Its time for you to be heading to your first lessons. Clint and I will walk you there, just to be sure you're settled in with the other trainees, then we both have classes to instruct, but you will be in each of our classes this afternoon." The three of us got up from the table, and I said my good byes to the other Avengers. Tony in particular promised to drop in soon to check on me. It made me happy to realise I had another friend. Natasha winked at me and said "See you soon, kid." I was curious about what she meant.

I followed Clint and Steve down another series of hallways to a blank white door. I followed Steve inside. The room we entered was huge. It was twice the size of the mess hall, and the ceiling arched high overhead. It looked like the combination of a gym and a military base. It was split into three parts. On the first part, weights, punching bags, and various machines littered the floor, and a boxing ring was in the center. There was a shooting range in the second part of the room, the walls there were covered in all sorts of weapons. The third part was wildly different. Desks were scattered randomly, all of them facing a blank chalkboard and what looked like an interrogation table like I had seen on TV. The ceiling had targets perched all over it, and there were ropes and ladders leading up to various ledges facing the targets.

"The ceiling and middle section are where I teach." Clint said. "Steve is in the first section, and there is a third teacher who works in the third section. That's where you'll be starting. When class starts, panels slide out from the walls, separating the three sections. Only the ceiling perches run through all three sections. Try to ignore the people you will see up there. They'll be learning assassination skills, so distractions are not welcome." "This is only the first part of training." Steve interrupted "There are separate, smaller classrooms along the hallway we entered. That's where you will be doing the book learning, science, history, languages, math. It can be rather overwhelming, but I'm sure you'll do fine. Today was a short day, so classes will be rushed. All classes let out at 2000 hours for the night. On normal days classes begin at 0600, so today you will only have an hour per class. Good luck." With that, Steve went over to the boxing ring to set up class. Clint patted my shoulder and walked me over to the third section. A woman stood by the desk, shuffling papers and occasionally writing something on the board. "Nat." Clint called, and Natasha turned around. Clint smiled. "Natasha is going to be your strategy 101 and interrogation teacher." I smiled, happy that the teacher was someone I knew. Almost smiling, Natasha said "Don't expect me to go easy on you, kid." Smiling back, I replied "Wouldn't dream of it."

Natasha assigned me to a seat near the front of the class, and she handed me a couple of books to look over that would help me to catch up with what was being taught. The books were _ Adventures in Espionage_ and _The Agent Manifesto. _ Natasha also gave me a course outline, so I knew what to expect. Just before the other trainees arrived, she asked me a strange question. "What do you want to be called? You can keep your original name, but many trainees choose to have a codename. It would only be for class, you don't have to use it outside of lessons." I thought for a moment. If I was to change my name, my new name would have to mean something. _  
_

Then I thought of it.

"Test Subject Alpha. My codename will be Tessa." For some reason that made Natasha smile. "You do know that Tessa spelled backward is asset? I suppose it's fitting, because I think you'll be a valuable addition to S.H.I.E.L.D." Just then the other trainees began to walk in. Natasha said one last thing before going to talk with the class. "Welcome to training, Agent Tessa."


	7. Surprise!

**AN: Ok, so there was a small point of concern brought to my attention in the last chapter. I feel the need to discuss said concern. Violet is not done fighting back. In the last chapter, she said she will be the best agent she can be. She didn't say for who. Violet is only taking a short reprieve from fighting back so that she can train. She can't very well rain down fire on Nick Fury if she isn't strong enough. In later chapters, Violet will continue to rebel. But for now, she will hide her anger and train.**

**Now, for this chapter, there is going to be a bit of a time jump. It will be two weeks since Violet started her training, and I'm going to throw in a couple minor OC characters.**

**And this will be another longer chapter. Not sure how you feel about that. Let me know whether you prefer longer or shorter chapters, please.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing the rights to nothing except Violet.**

_- Two Weeks Later -_

"No. Not like that. How many times have I told you. You can't take too long to sight and release. If you take too long, you're dead. Try again." I sighed. Clint was trying for the thousandth time to teach me archery. He just couldn't accept that I was rubbish at it. He was determined to turn me into a little Hawkeye. Throwing down the bow in frustration, I said "Clint, give it up. I just don't have a gift for the bow. You'll just have to think of something else." Sighing in defeat, Clint ran a hand through his hair, something i had noticed him doing when he was frustrated. "Fine, Vi. Go hit the showers." I didn't let him see my sigh of relief. We had been training since 2 am at Fury's insistence. He wanted me to be ready at all times. I had spent the better part of the morning imagining the targets and punching bags were Fury's face. Stepping away from Clint, I grabbed the rope next to me and swung down. Natasha had asked Clint to train me with the ceiling targets more. Part of Natasha's class was to face our fears; the less we were afraid of, the less an enemy could use against us if we were captured. I had narrowed my major fears down to spiders and heights. That's why we were training on the ceiling, to desensitize me to heights. The spiders I refused to even think about, but suffice to say I was no longer afraid.

Swinging down, I landed on the balls of my feet like Clint had showed me. I let myself feel a small spark of happiness. Even though it had only been two weeks, I was much stronger. Thor's DNA had given me a few enhancements, such as above average strength, endurance, and speed. My already muscular physique was now all deadly strength and speed. It had become routine for me to spar with Natasha and Clint because they were among the few who could beat me. I was in the top of almost all my classes, because it was easier for me to remember information. Other trainees were asking me to help them study, and I was more often then not called to demonstrate in class. I was the happiest I had been in years, and the saddest. All of my progress, all of my accomplishment, and my Mom had no idea. I missed her everyday; I never took off the locket. I had even asked Steve to start teaching me how to draw, just so that I could sketch my memories of her. I hadn't given up my hope of seeing her again one day, or my anger at the people who had taken her away from me. I was just waiting till the opportune moment.

I felt tears welling up behind my eyes, but I suppressed them. I couldn't show any weakness here, lest Fury was watching and saw me cracking. Only in private did i let go of my emotions. I heard someone creeping up behind me, and I recognized the now familiar footsteps. I waited till I sensed the person reaching out to me, then I quickly backstepped, drove my elbow into their chest, and flipped them over my shoulder. Moving quickly, I sat on their stomach, pinning them down. I raised my hands, pointing one fist at their face and pressing my other forearm against their neck.

"Yield." I said in the most intimidating voice I could muster. Steve began to laugh. "Okay, Vi. Get off, you win this round." I stood up, releasing him. I brushed imaginary dust off my S.H.I.E.L.D issued catsuit and hid a smile. Ever since training began, Steve and I had gotten closer, both in class and out. I didn't consider him my den mother anymore, he was just a friend who hung around a lot. He had stopped glowering whenever I was around, and we were very comfortable around each other. He was one of the few people i trusted, but i trusted him the most. He was the only one i showed any weakness in front of. The first few days of training had been brutal, but Steve had been there with a dry towel and a cool water bottle. More recently, whenever i was scared or really missing my Mom, Steve would take me out of my cell and let me sleep in his room. I would drag my pillow and blanket with me, then settle down on the floor next to his bed. Steve always offered to take the couch so i could sleep on the bed, or to put sheets down on the couch to make it more comfortable, but I didn't want to intrude after he was already being so nice, and the couch was on the other side of the room. Being close to Steve was comforting. Though I would never admit it to anyone, and I scarcely believed it myself, the fangirl crush I had before on Captain America was nothing compared to the feelings I had for Steve Rogers. It wad wierd and complicated, but in those moments when I was sad and he would hold me close, I could almost pretend he cared.

I reached out my hand and helped Steve up. He shook his head slightly. "Guess I'll never try sneaking up on you again." I laughed. "Well, if you didn't walk like a stampeding elephant maybe it would have worked." He chuckled in response. "Well if you didn't have the wierd alien DNA I could so take you." I countered with "Says the guy with serum-made muscles." This is how our banter was, lighthearted and fun until one of us gave up. Today it was him "Lunch?" I had about half an hour before my next class, so I nodded eagerly. "Just let me change into something less smelly and sweaty. I'll take a five minute shower and meet you in the mess hall." "Sounds good." With that, I headed to the locker room and Steve went towards the mess hall.

Entering, I heard the call of "Hey Tessa!" I turned to see a couple of people from my classes, Agent Major and Agent Richards, or as I knew them, Alison and Maria. We got along pretty well in class, and I would eat lunch with them from time to time. They were like my gossip girlfriends. They made me almost forget what was troubling me with all the talk of which Agent like which, who said what about Fury, and OMG did someone really mess up that mission? It was a little slice of normal in my crazy life. "Tessa, were you really just talking to Captain Rogers?" , Alison asked, and Maria added in "Yeah, I saw you, like, pin him on the floor and attack him. What was that about?" No one except Clint and Natasha knew about my...special relationship with Steve. The other Agents would think he was showing me favouritism, and the other Avengers would probably not approve of a student and teacher sleeping in the same room, so it was kind of a secret. "He and I were practising techniques for if an enemy snuck up behind you. I don't want to be unprepared." I knew they would accept this. I had developed a reputation as a slightly antisocial workaholic, because I was always 'practicing' with Steve, and I was never seen outside of headquarters. Most of the other Agents frequented night clubs or other local hot spots. Fury didn't even trust me to be alone Inside S.H.I.E.L.D. No way would he let me go Outside.

Alison and Maria began twittering about some love triangle among other Agents, leaving me to myself. I rinsed off in the showers, then pulled my wet hair into a messy bun. I was almost used to the strange color. The catsuit was only necessary for physical training, so I threw on a pair of black shorts and my favorite light blue t-shirt that said 'I speak fluent sarcasm'. I had managed to convince that I needed more than just S.H.I.E.L.D regulated clothes, so he had let Natasha to several department stores and get me clothes that would fit. She had somehow managed to sneak in a beautiful ball gown and similar clothing to what I had worn when I first arrived. I had questioned her about the gown, but all she said was "You never know." I had immediately shoved it to the back of my closet. While I was still kept under lock and key, Fury had moved me to a room that was actually fit for people to live in. It had a closet, a bureau, a bed, and a bathroom. It wasn't much, but it was better than before.

Slipping on a pair of sandals, I headed to the mess hall. They were serving my favorite meal, a hot sandwich of what was supposed to be chicken. The food here was even weirder than in high school, and I still wasn't convinced the food was drugged. When I walked into the hall, Steve waved me over to what I had mentally named The Avenger Table, since I never saw anyone sitting there except for the Avengers. I smiled when I recognized a familiar head of slightly gelded hair and the scent of oil. Tony was here.

"Hey kid." He said as I sat down. "How've you been?" "It's only been four days since you saw me, tin man." Tony had been even better than his word. He had kept his promise about seeing me when he could. Sometimes he came up with completely ludicrous excuses to frequent S.H.I.E.L.D when i would be around. I had come to think of him as a particularly doting Uncle.

Tony wrapped a hand around my shoulders, shaking me slightly. "I missed you, little flower." Tony had taken to calling me childish names. Little flower was his favorite nickname for me, because of my name. I responded by calling him names that were aimed at his suit and arc reactor. It was all in good fun. "When am I going to be able to take you with me to Stark Tower? We have all the cool stuff." I had become something of a science geek, often spending time with Dr Banner in his lab. "As soon as Fury gets the giant stick out of his butt." This made Tony laugh. We both pretended it was just a matter of time till I could rejoin the world, but we both knew I could never leave. Even if I became a full Agent, Fury would probably never let me go on away missions. I would be stuck with some crappy desk job, holed up here cor the rest of my days. Seeing that I was slipping into one of my funks, Steve scooted over to sit next to me, sliding over a tray with him. I ate the offered food, but I didn't taste it. I hadn't told anyone, but today would have been my sixteenth birthday. If I was with my Mom, she would have taken me to get my learner's permit, so I could start learning to drive, and we would have celebrated with cake and a Harry Potter marathon.

As I was thinking over what could have been, Agent Coulson slipped into the mess hall. A change went through everyone in the room. No one wanted to get on the wrong side of Fury's right-hand man, so the noise level immediately went down, and people sneakily cleaned up their tables. But Coulson didn't notice. He was too busy walking straight toward the table I was currently seated at. He stopped, simply saying "Fury wants to see you." Before turning on his heel and exiting.

I looked fearfully at Steve. I hadn't seen Fury for two weeks, and I was only scheduled to see him next week for a progress report. This was unexpected. I took a deep breath, like Natasha had told me to when I was worried. No use worrying until I had all the facts. Steve and I stood up and headed to Fury's office. Tony mouthed "Good Luck" to me as I exited.

It didn't take long to get to Fury's office, the walk only taking five minutes. Just before we entered the office, Steve rested a hand on my shoulder and gave me a light reassuring squeeze. The door slid open, and I wiped all emotion of my face like Natasha taught me. Stepping in, Fury stood facing us behind his desk. "Agent Violet, or is it Tessa now?", he greeted. "Only my friends call me Violet. You can call me Tessa.", I said to Fury, as smoothly as if I was talking about the weather. He shot me a look I couldn't read. "Captain Rogers" he greeted Steve, and I saw Steve slip back into his dutiful soldier attitude. "Director" he responded with a slight salute. "At ease. How has...Tessa her...been behaving? I trust she has not been too much trouble." "Not at all, sir." Steve replied smoothly. "I am sure, Tessa, that you would not have expected me to not realise that you made me unaware of something." This made my heart flutter slightly. Did he know about Steve and me being friends? Would he put me with another Agent if he was aware? Would that make Steve happy?

That last thought caught me by surprise. I had never considered that Steve was only being nice to me because he had to be. Was it all an act? Pushing aside these thoughts for later, I asked "To what are you referring, Director?" The title felt foreign in my mouth, and as it past my lips I felt nauseous. "I am referring, Agent Tessa, to your birthday." Now I was shocked. Why would Fury care if it was my birthday? As if reading my mind, Fury said "Tessa, I'm the head of a secret government agency. I'm not heartless. I know this hasn't been easy on you, but I want to give you something for your birthday. You will be accompanied by Captain Rogers and a tracker will be implanted temporarily, but I will allow you to choose one activity for your birthday outside of S.H.I.E.L.D."

**AN: wow. Who saw that coming? PLEASE REVIEW! Also, whoever wants to can send me an idea about what Violet should choose as her one activity.**


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